Seattle Colleges serves all of metropolitan Seattle and its surrounding communities and comprises the largest community college district in the state, educating more than 35,000 students each year.

Seattle Central College

Seattle Community College—now Seattle Central College—opened in 1966 as part of the public school system. As the first two-year college in the city, and the 19th in Washington state, its establishment filled a huge unmet need for affordable education and career training for the city’s residents. No longer would people have to travel to colleges in Everett, Bremerton, or other areas outside of Seattle. The first classes were held in the Edison Vocational Technical Institute in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Although Seattle Central was established in 1966, its roots run much deeper. Broadway High School, the city’s first high school, opened in 1902 and originally stood on the current Capitol Hill campus. When it closed in 1946, shortly after World War II ended, Edison Technical Institute opened on that site to serve thousands of veterans returning from the war with vocational training and education, helping them transition to civilian life. The State Community College Act of 1967 established college districts apart from the public schools, with a mandate to provide an open door to education for all who seek it. A long-range plan called for three campuses in the city, and planning began immediately for North Seattle College and South Seattle College.